Feeding device for bean-picking machines



4 April s 1924. 1,489,524

" H. GINTER FEEDING DEVICE FOR BEAN PICKING MACHINES Filed June 22, 1923 Patented Apr. S, 1924.

UNITED stares HENRY GINTER, OF VESTABURG, MICHIGAN.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR BEAN-PICKING MACHINES.

Application filed .Tune 22, 1923. Serial No. 647,160.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GrrN'rnR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vestaburg, in the county of Montcalm and State of lvichigan, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Devices for Bean-Picking Machines, p of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to feeding devices for bean picking machines, it more particularly relating to a feeding device for that type of machine in which a plurality of pairs of rolls are employed to which the beans are fed, the upper peripheries of the rolls of each pair being rotatable toward each other so as to pick out and separate the imperfect beans from the mass of beans.

In these machines it has been the common practice to piace the beans in a hopper having feed openings, one for each pair of rolls, to discharge the beans from the hopper onto the upper ends of the rolls, which rolls are placed in an inclined position, the beans travelling down the Y groove orY channel formed by the rolls. With this method of feeding the beans to the rolls it has been found in practice that the greater part of the work of separating the culls or imperfect beans is performed by the upper ends of the rolls which in a comparatively short time causes crevices to be worn i-n the rolls at the upper ends thereof, making it impossible for therolls to perform their function in an advantageous manner and, therefore, making it necessary to frequently renew these rolls.

The object of my invention is to provide a feeding device of such a nature that the beans will be fed in a uniform manner to the rolls throughout substantially their entire working length, thus causing a uniform wear to be brought upon the rolls and, further, increasing the capacity of the rolls by causing the separating operation to take place uniformly throughout substantially the entire length of the rolls.

In the accompanying drawings.:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bean picking machine of a well known type to which my improved feeding devices have been applied, a portion of the feedingdevices being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the upper side of a portion of my improved feeding devices. Y

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the under side of the feeding devices.

Referring to thev drawings, 1 represents the frame of the machine, 2 a hopper mounted on the upper portion of the frame to receive the beans to be picked or sorted, and 3 the picking rolls which are arranged in pairs in downwardly-inclined direction on both sides of the machine, with suitable means (not shown) for rotating the rolls of each pair in opposite directions to cause their upper peripheries to approach each other; the arrangement of these rolls and the mechanism for operating the same being well known in the art.v

My improved feeding devices consist of a rectangular-shaped open Vframe formed of side members 5 and 6 and end members? and a series of transversely-arrangedV feed tubes 8 supported by the side members` in equally` spaced relation, there being one tube for each pair of picking rolls. The tube supporting frame is mounted upon the Irinachine over the rolls in any suitable way, each of the ends being provided with an adjustable slide 9 having la bent end 10 which rests against some suitable point such as the upper end of the chamber 11 to maintain the feed tubes in proper position with relation to the rolls.

The upper end of each tube has a flaring mouth piece 12, these mouth pieces being arranged beneath. the discharge openingsV of the hopper 2 so'as to receive the beans from the hopper. rlhe lower side of each tubeis formed with aseries of openings 13 to permit the beans which are conveyed to the tube to be dropped into the groove or channel formed by each pair of rolls, the lower end of each tube being closed by a plug 14. The tubes are preferably ofV tapered form with the larger ends at the top and the smaller ones at the bottom. Associated with each tube is a pair of guard strips 15 one on each side of the tube, these guard strips being connected in any suitable way to the side frame members 5 and 6 and being for the purpose of preventing the beans from working over the rolls as they are dropped thereon from the tubes8.

The imperfect beans are carried through the rolls and droppedinto the chamber 16, while the mass of perfect beans travel down the rolls and drop into the chamber 11 in the usual way. l

By this construction it will be seen that the beans are fed onto the rolls throughoutsubstantially the full length of the rolls which not only lengthens the life of the rolls by distributing the wear thereon but also provides for a quicker and better reduction of the culls or imperfect beans by causing the picking action to take place in a uniform manner throughout substantially the entire working length of the rolls.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a machine of the character described, a main hopper, a plurality of pairs of picking rolls, anda device associated with each pair 'of rolls in uniformly spaced relation therewith throughout substantially the length thereof and in communication with said main hopper but independent thereof for distributing articles to be sorted to said rolls at a plurality of different points in the length of the rolls.

2. In a machine ofthe character described, a Vmain hopper, a plurality of pairs'of picking rolls, a feed tube for each of said rolls extending in the direction of the length of said rolls and parallel thereto and having discharge openings at different points in the length of the rolls, each of said feed tubes being in communication with said hopper, but otherwise independent thereof.

3. In a machine of the character described, a main hopper, a plurality of pairs of inclined picking rolls,"a feed tube for each pair of rolls extending in the direction of the length of said rolls parallel thereto and above the same, said tube being open at its upper end to receive therein articles to be sorted from said hopper and closed at its lower endV and provided with a series of discharge openings between its upper and lower ends to discharge said articles at different points in the length of said rolls.

4. In a machine of the character described, a hopper, a plurality of picking rolls ininsana@t clined downwardly from the bottom of said hopper and arranged in pairs, and means for distributing articles from said hopper to said rolls at different points in the length of said rolls, said means being arranged in uniformly spaced relation with said rolls throughout substantially the length thereof. 5. In a machine of the character described, a hopper, a plurality of picking rolls arranged in pairs and inclined downwardly from said hopper, and a feed tube for each pair of picking rolls arranged above the same and extending in the direc-tion of the length of said rolls and parallel thereto, said tube having an open upper end to receive beans from said hopper and being closed at its lower end, said tube also being provided with a series of discharge openings on the under side thereof to discharge the articles at different points in the length of said rolls.

6. In a machineV of the character described, a plurality of picking rolls arranged in pairs, a frame, and a plurality of feed tubes carried by said frame, one tube for each pair of rolls and arranged above said rolls and parallel thereto, each of said tubeshaving a plurality of discharge openings for discharging articles at different points in the length of its associated rolls.

7. .In a machine of the character described, a plurality of picking rolls arranged in pairs, a frame, a plurality of feed tubes carried by said frame, one tube for each pair of rolls and arranged above said rolls and parallelthereto, each of said tubes having a plurality of discharge openings for discharging articles at dilferent points in the length of its associated roll, and an adjustable slide to form a supporting prop at each end of said lframe.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this l9th`day of J une, 1923. Y

HENRY GINTER. 

